Lipslide

1	Anymore 3:48
2	Home 3:28
3	Ready or Not 4:41
4	Desert Baby 4:24
5	Goldie 5:03
6	Oh Boy, the Feeling When You Held My Hand 4:13
7	Coastal Town 4:01
8	Aussie Soap Girl 3:48
9	4 Months, 2 Weeks 5:24
10	Can't Stop Now 4:57
11	Fifth Floor 4:41
12	If You Leave Me 6:34

Barnes & Noble

As the voice of St. Etienne, this British chanteuse brings a bit of Swinging London to the modern electronic music scene -- an alchemy she takes one step further on this rather more organic side project. Cracknell's cool, distinctive voice -- call it Petula Clark on Paxil, if you must -- is swathed in sonic confectionery on songs like "Oh Boy, the Feeling When You Held My Hand" and "Ready or Not," both of which should appeal to St. Etienne stalwarts. She tests some uncharted waters as well, exploring the darker areas of her vocal palette on "Desert Baby" and "If You Leave Me." While some of the album's tracks appeared on an import version released some months ago, there's not a whole lot of crossover here; this stateside version also adds four songs previously only available as hard-to-find B-sides. It's moody, musky, and sometimes melancholy -- a perfect album to enjoy by the embers of a fire. David Sprague

All Music Guide

Recorded as St. Etienne was on an extended hiatus, Sarah Cracknell's solo debut Lipslide is a breezy, endearing record that wears its lightweight aspirations proudly. Divided equally between Euro-dance and British Invasion pop, Lipslide is a triumph of style over substance, but its surfaces are so appealing that the uneven songwriting doesn't matter. And when Cracknell's writing does succeed, as on "Anymore," and "Ready or Not," Lipslide shines with both infectious, well-crafted melodies and sparkling, sunny charm. Stephen Thomas Erlewine